ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. - Five documented Tuskegee Airmen visited the Freestate ChalleNGe Academy at the APG South (Edgewood) recreation center April 11.
All members of the East Coast Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen Inc. (ECCTAI), based in the Washington D.C./Baltimore area, the Airmen shared their stories and talked about how they overcame difficult obstacles on the road to success.
Members of the APG leadership in attendance included Installation and Communications-Electronics Command Sgt. Maj. Kennis Dent, Deputy Garrison Commander Glenn Wait and Garrison Command Sgt. Maj. James Ervin.
The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African-American military aviators who served between 1941 and 1949. Despite being American heroes, the Airmen were racially segregated and subjected to discriminatory policies of the Jim Crow era, inside and outside of the Army.
All of the 926 pilots were trained at Moton Field and Tuskegee Army Air Field near Tuskegee, Ala. The Airmen flew 1,267 missions and 6,381 combat sorties during World War II, and they were collectively awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by President George W. Bush and the U.S. Congress in 2007.
Tuskegee Airmen also included 16,000-19,000 ground personnel, including aircraft mechanics and maintenance technicians.
The Airmen in attendance included William T. Fauntroy Jr., Edward James Talbert Jr., Major L. Anderson, Dr. Cyril O. Byron Sr., and James W. Pryde Sr.
Anderson, part of the maintenance crew, said he considered it a privilege to speak to the audience.
?"I am proud today to say I am an original Tuskegee Airman and I thank God each and every day for my blessings," he said.
Byron told the audience how he dealt with prejudice in the South. He recounted how African-Americans were restricted to balcony seating in a theater near where they were stationed. He said even though the segregation made him uncomfortable, at the time, he just had to accept the status quo.
?"Never in my life did I think I would see an African-American President," Byron later commented, when asked how much America has changed since he served in the military.
Byron said he was in a group of Tuskegee Airmen who were invited to meet President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama in 2012, during a White House screening of the movie ?"Red Tails," a George Lucas-produced movie about the first African-American pilots in the Army, staring Cuba Gooding Jr. and Terrance Howard. Byron said meeting the Obamas was a highlight of his life.
Talbert talked about when he was part of the 332nd Fighter Wing, working as a base supply officer at Lockbourne Air Force Base from 1948 to 1950. Lockbourne Air Force Base, in Columbus, Ohio, was the last segregated African-American Air Force base before integration. Talbert said he had the honor of handing the Lockbourne keys over to the National Guard in 1950. After military service, Talbert worked as a librarian. He played a significant role in opening several library branches in Prince George?'s County.
Pryde, a former Tuskegee Airman radio operator, said that after leaving military service he worked for the National Security Agency, and served as the Assistant Deputy Director of Administration at NSA in 1981.
He was inducted into the NSA Hall of Honor in 2006. During his tenure at NSA, he helped to promote diversity within the organization. Today, he continues to support the NSA as a National Cryptologic Museum Foundation Inc. board member.
Steven L. McCoy, chairman of the East coast chapter Tuskegee Airmen speakers bureau told the audience that Tuskegee Airmen were instrumental in starting the thought process of the Civil Rights Movement in America. The American military began to fully integrate after President Harry S. Truman signed Executive Order 9981, on July 26, 1948.
?"These men came home and were unable to accept the conditions that America was under at that time," McCoy said.
During the question and answer session, one attendee asked the Airmen how they handled internal conflict with other Airmen, remarking that they all came from different geographical backgrounds.
?"Internal conflict was not a problem, we all had a similar goal, to do the best work with the knowledge that we have been given," Anderson said.
Fauntroy said the Airmen knew that they had to depend on each other to succeed. He encouraged the cadets to do the same. He told the audience that after serving in the Army, he became the first African-American civil engineer hired by the National Capital Transportation Agency, the predecessor to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority. He was instrumental in selecting areas for Washington D.C. Metro stations.
?"If you ever rode on the Metro, you can thank me," he said.
Fauntroy said the Airmen encouraged each other to do their best. He told the cadets that each person has a special gift to share with the world.
?"You have to have a desire to want to be somebody," Fauntroy told the cadets. ?"If you put in the effort, believe me you will succeed."
The Tuskegee Airmen lunched with the cadets after the presentation. Several cadets remarked that they were inspired by presentation.
?"Hearing them speak made me realize that there will always be hard times. You just have to be motivated to fulfill your dreams." said Cadet Janice Pena.
?"We got to hear a first- hand account about how life was like at that time," said Cadet Michael Jefferson. ?"I am grateful to have the opportunity to hear them speak."
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